Conventionally, a recliner chair will move from an upright position, in which the backrest is generally upright, to one or more reclined positions, in which the backrest pivots to be less upright. The movement of the seating unit between the upright and reclined positions is typically controlled by a pair of synchronized reclining mechanisms that are attached to the seat, backrest and base of the chair. Many recliners will have an extendable footrest that provides support for the occupant's feet in the reclined position.
One particularly popular recliner is the “three-way” recliner, which has two reclined positions: a “TV position”, in which the footrest or ottoman of the chair is projected forwardly from the chair while the backrest remains substantially upright; and a “fully reclined position”, in which the backrest is less upright (i.e., it has been reclined to a shallower angle relative to the floor. In a “three-way” recliner, the backrest pivots relative to the seat as the chair takes its fully reclined position; this differs from a “two-way” recliner, in which the backrest and seat are rigidly fixed and do not pivot relative to one another as the chair moves to the fully reclined position.
Many recliner chairs, particularly older models, have been rather bulky. In many instances the bulk of the chair was necessary to cover the reclining mechanism when the chair was in the upright position. However, in some instances it has now become desirable to incorporate a slimmer, sleeker look into furniture, so designers of recliner chairs have responded with designs intended to present a more contemporary look. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,915,444 to Rogers, Jr. illustrates a three-way recliner with a “wrap-around” upholstery layer. The upholstery layer is attached at one end to the rear portion of the seat and at its other end to the front end of the footrest. In the upright position, the footrest folds under the front portion of the seat in a generally horizontal disposition, such that the upholstery layer covers the upper surface of the seat, the lower surface of the footrest, and the front surface of the chair between the seat and the footrest. As another example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,540,291 to Hoffman illustrates a contemporary “off-the-floor” style chair with three-way reclining capability.
One especially popular contemporary chair style is the “Eames” lounge chair. An Eames chair is characterized by a seat and a backrest having a relatively thin profile. In some instances the backrest is attached to the seat by one or more stems that emerge from the rear portion of the seat and attach to the rear surface of the backrest, which can provide a gap between the seat and the backrest for styling purposes. Often an Eames lounge chair will be accompanied by a separate ottoman or footstool.
Because of the thin seat and backrest profile and the styling gap, introducing reclining capability into an Eames chair presents difficulties. Given the popularity of this chair style, it would be desirable to provide an Eames chair or a similarly thin-profiled chair with reclining capability.